Oropharyngeal cancer is a disease in which malignant cells form in the tissue of the oropharynx. The oropharynx is a part of the throat that includes the base of the tongue, the tonsils, the soft palate, and the walls of the pharynx. Oropharyngeal cancer has many unique characteristics that distinguish it from other types of head and neck cancer. For instance, oropharyngeal cancer has a strong association with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In addition, although the overall incidence of head and neck cancer has decreased steadily within the past decades, the number of reported cases of oropharyngeal cancer has increased significantly. Currently, oncologists rely primarily on the stage of the tumor to make treatment decisions for patients with oropharyngeal cancer. The HPV status of patients with oropharyngeal cancer has also been proposed as a promising prognostic marker and treatment factor. However, these methods either rely primarily on the early diagnosis of head and neck cancer, or fail to predict disease outcome of oropharyngeal cancer. Predicting disease outcome of patients with oropharyngeal cancer may improve patient outcomes by identifying patients who are likely to fail standard therapy and who could potentially benefit from alternative or targeted treatments. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method to predict disease outcome that focuses specifically on oropharyngeal cancer.